5-Phase Women's Soccer Goalie Training Program

Great soccer goalies have an abundance of skillsâsmartÂ positioning, fast reflexes and excellent ball handling. The demands of the position make goalkeeper conditioningÂ different from that of other players. Develop the necessary explosive power, agility and concentration to be a successful goalie with the following women's goalie training program.

The first step in any goalkeeper training program is to build basic strength and power. You need full-body strength to punt and clear the ball great distances, and to throw the ball out of the box after a save. Achieve it with the following exercises:

Great soccer goalies have an abundance of skills—smart positioning, fast reflexes and excellent ball handling. The demands of the position make goalkeeper conditioning different from that of other players. Develop the necessary explosive power, agility and concentration to be a successful goalie with the following women's goalie training program.

Phase One

The first step in any goalkeeper training program is to build basic strength and power. You need full-body strength to punt and clear the ball great distances, and to throw the ball out of the box after a save. Achieve it with the following exercises:

This phase lasts three to four weeks, with a frequency of two times per week.

Phase Three

In this phase, you start incorporating sport-specific movements like Shuffles, Backpedals and Short Sprints, as well as catching balls and punching balls away to develop the technical aspects of the position. You can even do shuffle drills into a dive to work on your diving technique. For field-based exercises, perform one or two sets of five to six repetitions. Because most soccer seasons run year-long, train with this workout once a week for five to six weeks.

Phase Four

Goalkeepers need to react to a shot in a fraction of a second, so Phase Four consists of focus and reaction drills. There are several such drills, but my two favorites are Deck of Cards and Tennis Ball Focus.

This phase lasts five to six weeks with a frequency of once a week. Since it is not too taxing on the body, it can be performed concurrently with Phase Three, even on the same day. Pick only one drill from Phase Four to run with Phase Three drills.

Phase Five

The final phase of any good goalkeeper training program involves stability exercises. Using a BOSU is a great way to build stability. (Check out Olympian Abby Wambach's BOSU Circuit.) Perform the following exercises with body weight as resistance.